Oct 6, 2016

UF Adds Online Weed Management Course

On Oct. 24, the University of Florida will begin a weed management online course, the final course from the Greenhouse Training Online Program.

This new course is designed for growers with some experience and training in the U.S. or other countries. The course is offered in English and Spanish.

The course will cover eight lesson topics:

1. Weed identification, biology, and life cycle impacts on control
2. Preemergence herbicides and programs
3. Postemergence herbicides and programs
4. Calibration and application
5. Non-chemical methods of weed control in nursery and greenhouse production
6. Impact of production practices on weed control and herbicide efficacy
7. Managing difficult and unique weed control issues
8. Herbicide modes of action, rotations, and scheduling for the best control

Participants will learn how potting media, irrigation, and fertilization impact weed growth and herbicide performance. As well as accurately calibrate sprayers and granular application equipment, and avoid crop injury from herbicide applications. Many of the same weed species such as nutsedge, spurge and oxalis appear in nurseries around the world.

The course runs for four weeks, from Oct. 24 to Nov. 18. It costs $200 per participant, and includes a personalized certificate of completion. Each week there are two streaming video lessons, readings and assignments (about three to four hours total commitment per week), which can be accessed at any time of day. Bilingual PhD instructors can be accessed via discussion features. To register, visit http://tinyurl.com/WeedMgt2016

For more information, go to www.backpocketgrower.org under “training” and “online courses”, or contact Chris Marble, Ph.D. or Rosanna Freyre, Ph.D., Environmental Horticulture Department, University of Florida, at greenhousetraining@ifas.ufl.edu.